This year's Halloween season is sadly complete., I reflect on what it is that makes Halloween so special for some of us.  It has been stated by many lovers of this deliciously dark holiday that Halloween is not just contingent of a single night, but of an entire spooky season.  Depending on your love or ADD, the Halloween season can start the second the Halloween greeting cards hit the shelves at the store, usually August or September. It is during this season where some of us relish in the preparation for the big day.  We strive to consciously and unconsciously recreate the childhood memories and activities that defined Halloween for us.  Activities like watching horror movies, decorating the house or planning spooky outings.  Mos of the pleasure lies in preparing and anticipating that October 31st night.

If you ask children what they enjoy most about Halloween you'd be hard pressed to get more than the two big answers. Candy and costumes.  No one can blame kids, getting candy disguised as someone or something you like is just awesome.  It's easy and expected for kids to get distracted by the cool and obvious stuff.  Some of us expose children to activities and experiences that are not limited by  the end of the month deadline.  As we grow older, we collect experiences and memories that personalize the holiday for us and ultimately, determine if we will tolerate Halloween or be in love it.

This is a phenomena that is not unique to Halloween, the rest of the upcoming holidays have this
trait as well.  When we are younger, these other holidays are mostly about eating a big dinner with family and possibly getting presents.  The realization that these particular holidays mean more than the material comes earlier for kids.  Family traditions and overall good cheer are heavily emphasized during the last couple of months of the year. Interestingly, traditions during this time are more or less the same (eating a turkey, getting a tree, opening presents at a certain time) whereas during Halloween, they can fluctuate according to themes or popularity. Eventually, we grow and realize through holiday movies or our own cognizance, that these end of the year holidays are about spending time with friends and family and if we're lucky, enjoying that spent time.  For some reason, Halloween is not really included in this column.

Perhaps the reason is that Halloween has the distinction of being the holiday with the most unique celebratory activities we can partake in that change on a yearly basis.  For example, we can choose to have a scary movie festival, go to a haunted hayride or visit the Halloween version of an amusement park and every year, these will  look different and produce a completely new experience.  Most of these activities are geared towards adults which is a big factor that Halloween being so popular among the "big kids."  In terms of the big day itself, maybe this year you want to dress up as something scary instead of sexy or carve a silly pumpkin or maybe do the same thing you do every year.  Will you choose to go to a party, trick or treat, or stay in?  Every choice is shaped by personal experiences and preferences which make us all enjoy the season in a different way.

So while you are a kid and see Halloween as a one day treat like this:

Once you grow, you step back and take in the big Halloween picture:

Still pretty "sweet" and once you realize this, you can pass down your traditions to the next generation where they will shape and evolve how they experience Halloween when they are older.

Artist credit--Jason Mecier